Pics of Queer Prom! That place is a major challenge to shoot.

Labels: Events, Photos

Overview:

Today's chat programs, although they have done wonders to improve the speed of interchange, lack an essential ability. Communication occurs visually as well as through writing. I've often thought that chat programs need a simple way to send images of what you are looking at on the screen to your chat partner. One of the most frustrating things is trying to get someone else able to see EXACTLY what you are looking at. Say you want to show someone an article, but they needed to register and go through steps to see it. Or what if what you wanted to show required them to download software, install plugins, etc. I find this problem annoying when trying to communicate to less computer savvy people, but it can also make error-reporting much easier (show us exactly the error message you saw!). But the thing most everyone CAN do is click on links. I found my solution in the software utility, Macro Express.

What my script does is save a screen grab to a file, upload that file to an ftp server, and copy the url of the image to the clipboard. Then you can simply paste away, and the person on the other end of the communication line will be able to see exactly what it is you are talking about. The script may be extremely simple, mundane, and obvious for many of you, but I think it's a good example of how macro-express can be used fill software gaps.

What you need:

Screen-grabbing software - Everyone knows about print screen, but it seems overkill if you only want to show something specific. I use the built in screen grabber in Microsoft onenote, which allows a screen crop of whatever size and dimensions I wish. Pretty much any screen grab software will do.

An FTP server - Hopefully self-explanatory. Usually your web-hosting service allows for FTP uploads.

Macro Express - Self-exp as well.

What you do:

Create a new macro in macro express, copy the following code linked in the image below, then paste it into the scripting editor.



The scripting editor should appear like such. Boxes that you will need to customize are highlighted (customize your local folder, ftp server, username, password, etc.). Once that is done, you are good to go!



Usage:

First you'll make a screen capture. Next, you'll hit the macro activation button. A prompt will ask you for a name. Then a status box will appear and let you know that the file is uploading. It will finish by telling you the url of the image which is copied to your clipboard, and then you can hit ok (you could always automate it to disappear, too, if you don't want this step). Now you can paste the image address wherever you wish.

Quirks:

The status box thing flickers because there doesn't seem to be a way to have it remain constant in macro express. If there's any way to make this look nicer, please let me know. And of course, if there are ways to make this script more streamlined or clean, I'd appreciate feedback.

I just wanted to throw up some images from a photo set from a few days ago, quick.

Labels: Modeling, Photos

I have no idea how I got ANY pictures last night at all, because I was hammered. The funny thing is, I don't even remember being drunk, but I sure woke up feeling like the sledgehammer midgets had been frolicking. But really, the truly amazing thing is that after loading up my car with equipment, flashes, and reflectors, driving up to the party, getting lost, missing exits, and then parking... I looked in the passenger's seat and my passenger was not there. My camera was at home on the couch.

Pretty amazing that I got pictures then, isn't it?

Friday was the opening of the UVSC student art show, which took place at the Woodbury Gallery. The gallery is essentially UVSC property in the University Mall, and it really is a pretty impressive place. I guess that some pictures of my naked ass that Janae took and chromed were supposed to be on the walls, but it was censored at the last minute. Now it's personal! :(



I attended the largest protest I've ever been to in my life, the huge immigration protest against a bill that wants tighter immigration controls. I usually am protesting the war, laws against homosexuals, the president, etc., but finally I was part of a popular movement! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people are more concerned about the day to day than the fact that we are killing poor people in other countries. There were also the protester protesters, who I ended up getting into some brutal verbal confrontations with. I was actually separated from the guy because we had entered into an angry dual flood of obscenities. Fun stuff.



And then I ended up at the drum circles, my first this year. It is definitely more spiritual than any church I've seen. Laena and myself set up some photo equipment, reflectors, flashes, etc., and experimented mixing strong outdoor light with studio light to get decent portraits. It was such a bright day, and everyone was wearing sunglasses, so it's pretty easy to demystify the lighting. I definitely need more practice with mixing outdoor light, though; figuring out the angles of reflectors is still something of a bumble.

His clothes were black and faded and his face wore a tattered beard. White stains were the only that shone through. His green tweet hat had sleepy 5 o'clock shadow, which contrasted his clear, eggwhite, rhinestone eyes. I could see how the clothing was an old friend, like the relic in his hands: a dancing violin. Just twenty feet away, a group of musicians bounced melodies against each other. He, though, was a lonely figure in a wheelchair bathed in red light against an old concrete wall. And he ranted, yelling at some owner of some venue somewhere who had refused him access to the stage. So, tonight his audience was solely I, my camera lens, and the alley which periodically flashed with light from headlights of cars looking for parking.. so they could pay $3 dollars and see those on the stage behind Kermit's wall.



I'm reading "Language in Thought and Action," by S.I. Hayakawa, and it inspired me to write a description with an awareness of bias. He says that the good writers develop complexity in a character by trying to describe them from more than one point of view. This gives a solidity and realness to the image being created.

Labels: Modeling, Photos

I am in the middle of researching a paper that is, as of now, generally about how "fear of terrorism" is a force used to maitain a complacent population. My research has focused on arguments that help support my case, and now I'm more interested in fleshing out context. By providing the context I hope to show what has led the media and terrorism to be so mutually beneficial to one another. I have already found that there is a large body of work which supports the idea that a fear is a commodity manufactured by the media in order to influence populations. I think going into that argument would be too easy.

To problematize my prior topic, I've decided to look at the ongoing debate over the magnitude of media influence. It's generally understood that the mass media is an extremely pervasive force in giving the public a picture of the world. However, there are those who feel that thinking the public is some sort of unaware recepticle of media transmissions is elitist and does not reflect the ability for people to take information and process it in innovative, creative, and unpredictable ways. I think these debates need to be considered when talking about how much effect the media has on generating fear and having a captive (captivated) audience.

I am still processing information and doing, what I consider, to be first stage analysis. That consists of around two-three of my own responses per page of text that I'm reading. Once they are read that way, I am typing them up and going into more detail with a three column analysis of all the highlighting and commentary. The first column contains the quote that interested me; the second, my response; and the third, a rhetorical analysis of the language and tone of the original author. I'm at this stage with two of the journals, so I've much work to do. I'm working on a schedule to try and do one or two of the stages per source per day. I hope to then write 1-2 page summaries on each article so I can get all the data organized in my head and create the final paper from there.

So that's where I'm at. :)

Today was a heavy day for photography. There was a protest at Brigham Young University, which is, I think, their second in history. It seems that Todd Hendricks, a grad student who also got a job as a low level administrator, wrote a "letter to the editor" for the campus newspaper regarding a procedural oddity with the club BYUSA. The club supposedly "acts as a student voice to the President's Council", but Hendricks saw that all the members were hand-picked. So, he wrote a piece asking for some transparency in the process.

The voice of the students, to Hendricks, seemed to be nothing more than the voice of pre-approved puppets of the administration. Once his piece was published, he was told he was disloyal and was given the option to leave with one month of pay and insurance for 3 months if he would keep quiet about it. Signs at the protest reflected this with slogans like, "No Hush Money!," and "Hush money' is proper protocol." But the best one was, "Have I done any good in the world today because I shaved?" a take-off of a mormon mantra, "Have I done any good in the world today because I shared?" That one little letter substitution reaveals the really important LDS values. (Thank you, Nathan, for noticing that.) My friend Noelle, on the other hand, like the honesty in the sign adorned with, "I'm here to meet girls."

I couldn't find Hendrick's actual letter, but Daily Herald Stories are:

Students to protest the firing of BYUSA adviser

Students protest firing of adviser, demand more voice in university affairs

Letter leaves BYUSA adviser jobless

Surpringly, the Deseret News also covered it:

Students protest Y. adviser's dismissal


And then, I was at the Paul Mitchell graduation with Chris, who had done up Marcia. We illegally took pitures in the mall! Oooh! They have signs everywhere against it. I felt so rebellious.

Labels: Modeling, Photos